The Advanced Sports Training Institute (ASTI) provides a newfound home for high school, college and professional athletes to develop their muscle and mental growth.
“I teach [them] to tap into their innate ability of knowledge that they have outside of sports, so really sports is just a vehicle to get them in here,” said Anthony Eagleton, a prominent athletic performance specialist for 30 years. “Basically, I want to change the way kids view themselves in the inner-cities and help them realize that knowledge itself isn‘t just in the book.”
Initially, ASTI was known as Advanced Sports Training, where Eagleton trained athletes within the garage of his home. Yet, Eagleton, along with business partner Aalim Moor II, integrated the dimension of teaching into their program, classifying it as an institution.
ASTI is a privately-owned business based in Oakland established about three or four months ago, according to Eagleton. The institute was formed to provide a positive and nurturing environment for athletes to learn to maximize their educational, athletic and personal potential, as reported on advancedsportstraininginstitute.net.
The institute consists of 16 training programs for various sports, such as basketball, baseball, golf, lacrosse, swimming and more. Also, for athletes in pursuit of professional careers in the National Basketball Association (NBA) or National Football League (NFL), ASTI offers specialized draft preparation programs.
In addition to athlete training programs, ASTI provides adult fitness programs to promote greater longevity, health and wellness amongst middle-aged men and women.
During its short existence, ASTI has helped groom some of the best athletes to have come out of the Bay Area, like professional boxer Andre Ward, former Portland Trailblazer Patrick “Patty” Mills and NFL pro Jesse Boone.
“My speed and agility numbers definitely have increased with the work here…. The main thing I’ve seen though, along with my stamina and conditioning, is my hand and my foot speed have gotten a lot better,” claimed European professional basketball player Dior Lowhorn on the advanced sports training institute website.
“[My son] enjoys being trained by Anthony because of his concern for him to succeed not just in high school but for college as well. […] I personally see how Anthony talks to the young men and ladies by encouraging them to succeed not just on the playing field, but the field of life,” said Johan Thomas, father of former North Carolina Tar Heel Quentin Thomas, according to advancedsportstraininginstitute.net.
Improvement in athletic performance isn’t the only positive outcome in this institution, academic excellence has been an integral part of ASTI as more than 600 of their student-athletes have gone to college, Eagleton confirmed.
Though ASTI has experienced much success in its brief operation, there are still some things Eagleton envisions for his student-athletes.
“Before, I was helping kids go to college and because they came from pretty bad situations, once they got a college education they didn’t come back to their environments. So, I [want] these guys who are coming back from college to stay in these environments and use their new found knowledge to change everything,” said Eagleton.
